Iraqi Turkmen representatives were invited at the 6th European Parliament – Iraq Interparliamentary Meeting – on 3rd December 2015.

photo above: the Chair of the Delegation for relations with IRAQ, Mr. David Campbell Bannerman MEP – Iraqi Turkmen Front EU Representative Dr. Hassan Aydinli, and the President of Human Rights Commission at the Iraqi Parliament and ITF President, Mr. Arshad Salihi.

Introduction by the Chair of the Delegation for relations with IRAQ, Mr. David Campbell Bannerman MEP and by the Chair of the Iraqi Parliamentary Delegation, Mr. Dhafer Salman (see photo above) also on this photo H.E. the Ambassador of Iraq to the Kingdom of Belgium.

The President of Human Rights Commission at the Iraqi Parliament and ITF President Mr. Arshad Salihi

Stalemate, Not
Statehood, for Iraqi Kurdistan

U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry chats with President Masoud Barzani upon arrival
at the Kurdistan Regional Government Presidential Compound in Erbil, Iraq, on
June 24, 2014. [State Department photo/public domain]

Editor’s Note: The Kurds are the largest
nation in the Middle East without a state of their own and their quest for more
rights and at times independence has led to civil wars, unrest, and
near-genocidal levels of killing. Iraq has often been the center of the Kurdish
struggle, and the decline of the Iraqi state since 2003 – and the latest
dysfunction manifest in its efforts to fight the Islamic State – seems to offer
opportunities for Iraqi Kurds to carve out their own state. Denise Natali, an
expert on the Kurds at the National Defense University, challenges this claim.
She argues that the Iraqi Kurds’ current in-between status is likely to endure
and, indeed, offers benefits for Kurdish leaders.

***

Since the creation of a weak federal Iraqi state a decade ago, the
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has moved toward whatmanyanalysts,pundits, andKurdsconsider
a desired end state: independence. Taking advantage of the ambiguous 2005 Iraqi
constitution, disfranchised Sunni Arab community, sectarian conflicts, and
dysfunctional Iraqi government, the KRG hasdeveloped
its own energy sector; assumedde
facto controlover disputed lands; and created a
cohort of influential supporters tolobby
Kurdish interestsin Washington and abroad. These trends
have been further bolstered by the Islamic State threat, which has allowed the
KRG to access U.S. and coalition military support, further expand its
territorial reach, and challenge Baghdad with “independent” oil exports.

Yet a deeper look into the Iraqi Kurdish trajectory reveals a more
complicated and interrupted scenario defined by legal, economic, and geopolitical
constraints. The KRG may have created new “facts on the ground” that strengthen
its internal sovereignty and international recognition, but it remains a
landlocked, quasi-state entity lacking external sovereignty.

This condition means that the degree and nature of Kurdish autonomy,
including any potential for independence, is not determined by unilateral
decisions made by Kurdish elites but rather by the demands, deals, and
incentive structures brokered by powerful regional states and non-state actors.
These influences have not only checked Kurdish leverage and kept Kurds within
the Iraqi state, at least nominally, they have also created necessary political
ambiguity that benefits KRG officials. Maintaining the status quo hasallowed
the KRGto realize rights,revenues, and recognition as part of aweak
federal Iraqi statewhile also pursuing a nationalist agenda
based on victimization, struggle, territorial expansion, and opaque, oil-based
economic development, supported by external networks.

Turkmen are Iraq’s third largest ethnic group but they remain un­derrepresented
in politics and their plight is largely ignored.

Baghdad - Iraq’s Turkmen are the coun­try’s third largest ethnic group
after Arabs and Kurds but the community of nearly 3 million people has endured
displace­ment, isolation, discrimination and violence throughout its history.

Today, the Turkmen remain un­derrepresented
in Iraqi politics and their plight is largely ignored.

lundi 2 novembre 2015

After the fall of Saddam Hussein government the Turkmen, Arabs, and Chaldo Assyrians had high expectations of the interim administration established after 9th April 2003.

The Turkmen expected to see democracy, fairness, an end to discrimination, the right to self-determination and an end to violence. Unfortunately, the opposite has occurred regarding the human rights situation in Iraq, in particular concerning the Iraqi Turkmen. After the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003, hundreds of Kurdish militia poured into the Turkmen city of Kirkuk.

The Kurdish militia ransacked the municipality buildings in Kirkuk, government offices and military buildings.The land deeds belonging to the Turkmen were deliberately taken from the Registry Office making it difficult for the Turkmen to establish themselves as original inhabitants of the province.

Large hotels, hospitals and a historical military barracks in the city (at that time used as a museum), which was built in the Ottoman era, along with Turkman shops and houses, including the land registry office were set alight by the Kurdish militia.

The invasion of Kirkuk in 2003 by the Kurdish militia was a mirror image of the events from 1991 during the uprising against Saddam Hussein after Operation Desert Storm.

Thousands of internally displaced Kurds and Turkmen returned to Kirkuk and other Arabised regions to reclaim their homes and lands that had been occupied by Arabs from central and southern Iraq. These returnees had been were forcibly expelled from their homes by the government of Saddam Hussein during the 1980s and 1990s. The majority of the returning Kurds were not originally from Kirkuk but were brought to Kirkuk with the help of the two Kurdish parties and they were housed in the vacant Turkmen and Arab houses.

The reasoning behind this was that they wanted to change the demography of the city and win the referendum that was planned to be carried out by 31 December 2007 to determine whether Kirkuk could formally join the Kurdish administered region, an outcome that Arabs and Turkmen in Kirkuk staunchly opposed.Salman Mofak.

samedi 24 octobre 2015

Dr. Hassan Aydinli, Iraqi Turkmen Front EU Representative and Mr. Niyazi Mimar Oğlu, Member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives were invited as guest speakers at the Delegation for Relations with Iraq Meeting at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg.

Hereunder the official Minutes of the Meeting:

DELEGATION FOR RELATIONS WITH IRAQ MEETING AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

D-IQ_PV(2015)0610

MINUTES

of
the meeting of 10 June 2015, 15.00-17.00

Strasbourg

The meeting opened at 15.00 on Wednesday, 10 June 2015,
with David Campbell Bannerman (Chair) presiding.

1. Chair’s announcements

Mr Brian Hayes
(EPP - IRELAND), welcomed guest speakers from the Yazidi, Turkmen and
Chaldean/Syriac/Assyrian communities in Iraq. He reminded the audience that the
EU supports those actors who promote national reconciliation processes in Iraq,
including Iraqi institutions promoting the creation of an inclusive Iraqi
National Guard. In this regard, he announced that he recently met with the
Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, Mr Al-Jabouri, at a joint
AFET-DEVE meeting dedicated to the humanitarian response plan for Iraq. The
outcome of this meeting was positive.

2. Adoption of draft agenda (PE 553.741)

The agenda was adopted.

3. Adoption of minutes of the Delegation
meeting of 29 April 2015 (PE 553.735)

The minutes were adopted.

4. Exchange of views with the
Representatives of the 'Yazidi Democratic Movement' in Sinjar, created for the
fight against Daesh:

Mr. Said Hassan, a
representative of the 'Yazidi Democratic Movement', argued that the different
peoples living under dictatorships in the MENA region were forced to protest
against their respective regimes, a phenomenon commonly known as the Arab
Spring. Unfortunately, this phenomenon, he explained, generated a situation in
Iraq that threatens the survival of Iraqi minorities. Subsequently, he called
upon EU institutions and the UN Security Council to focus on Iraqi minorities
under risk of disappearing, particularly the Yazidi community.

In August 2014, DAESH killed thousands of Yazidi men in
Sinjar. This massacre, among others, is part of DAESH' destruction of Iraqi
heritage, an action that will result, in his opinion, in a major cultural loss.
In this regard, he thanked the Kurdish people for helping the Yazidi community,
which, he claimed, might face extinction. In order to avoid such extinction, a
constituent assembly has been established to govern the Yazidi community in
Mount Sinjar and the surrounding territories. Another governing body has been
established outside of Iraq to support Yazidi efforts inside Iraqi territory,
he explained.

Then, he argued that the Yazidi community has had to resort
to the creation of its own forces, as Iraqi forces do not guarantee their
security. In March 2015, the Yazidi community formed its own forces, which now
operate in Sinjar. According to him, if they had had more weapons and military
backup, they could have hired more people to fight against DAESH. He called
upon the international community and the EU to support the Yazidi forces, as it
is not acceptable to permit the extinction of ancient minorities such as the
Yazidi community.

Mr. Nouri Mirza, a
member of the 'Yazidi Democratic Movement', thanked the EU for inviting Yazidi
representatives to speak about their current situation in Iraq. He argued that
the international community is paying little attention to the Yazidi community,
which is suffering DAESH' atrocities, among them the Sinjar massacre. As a
board member of the Yazidi Democratic Movement, he stated that the conditions
faced by the Yazidi community are severe. He explained how this community has
been displaced through Iraq, Syria and Turkey. According to statistics, more
than 5.000 Yazidi people have been kidnaped by DAESH; most of them women and
children. Also, 11 massive graves have been found containing bodies of Yazidi
people, and the holy places of this community have been destroyed by DAESH.

He then provided an example: in August and September 2014,
DAESH militants in northern Iraq perpetrated a massacre in the village of
Kocho, and abducted women and children. Before said event, there were 344
Yazidi families living in Kocho, that is 1738 Yazidi people. From this amount
of people, over 450 were killed by DAESH militants.

He called upon the international community to help Yazidi
refugees. He thanked the Iraqi Kurdistan for hosting the Yazidi community,
which has been settled in camps. The conditions in these camps are not proper;
he argued. Refugees lack access to medical health care, being diseases common.
Also, over 10.000 people are hiding in the Sinjar Mountain receiving no help
from the international community. They have no water, tents, weapons, nor
clothing.

5. Exchange of views with the representatives
of minority communities in Iraq:

Mr David Campbell
Bannerman (ECR-UK, Delegation Chair), resumed his role as Chair of the
Delegation.

Dr. Hassan Tawfiq
Aydinli, Iraqi Turkmen Front EU Representative, thanked the EU for inviting
Iraqi representatives to speak for an EU audience. He focused his contribution
on two of the main problems faced by Turkmen in Iraq. Turkmen have been twice
internally displaced people: first under Saddam Hussein, and now under DAESH.
This has led to the loss of property. Reclaiming this property is difficult.
There is a Commission in charge of handling confiscations, properties and
related topics. Nevertheless, due to administrative difficulties and the
advance of DAESH, it has proven almost impossible for Turkmen to regain their
property. The other problem is the following: 300.000 Shia people belonging to
the Turkmen community have been forced to leave the community, as DAESH attacks
the Shia community. Defending the Shia Turkmen community is causing the death
of Turkmen, who receive no help from the Iraqi government nor the Peshmerga.

Mr. Niyazi Mimar Oglu, a member Iraqi Council of
Representatives who has been targeted 28 times, also thanked the EU for
inviting Turkmen representatives to discuss the concerns of this community.
This community, he explained, is composed of over 2 million people. It faces
DAESH, and the differences between the government in Baghdad and that in the
Kurdish region. Many people have been killed, and many others have been forced
to flee. Others have been kidnapped.

The Turkmen believe in diplomacy, in formal negotiations, he
argued. However, given the circumstances, the Turkmen have been forced to
fight. The international community has ignored the difficulties faced by this
community, he emphasised. Also, the rights of this community have been
violated, and their territory -under the umbrella of the central government-,
reduced.

He sought to obtain international support for the Turkmen
community, and explained the need for stronger military action against DAESH.
Also, he stated that, from the entire EU funding to Iraq, the Turkmen did not
receive an euro.

Mr. David Campbell
Bannerman (ECR-UK, Delegation Chair) thanked the Turkmen guests for
travelling to EU and for their contributions.

Above: with Mr. Brian HAYES, Fine Gael MEP for Dublin, Ireland.

Member of the European People's Party.

He then gave the floor to
Assyrian representatives.

Mr. Sharbil Hanna
Matty, General of the Assyrian "Nineveh Plain Forces", thanked
the EU for the invitation to participate in the meeting. He referred to the
Assyrian people as a Christian nation looking for co-existence in Iraq,
partnership and equal rights. He thanked the Kurdistan region for hosting all
types of refugees, and urged the EU to support the Kurdish government and to
implement all the measures promised by the EU. They have received no military
support. The Peshmerga is currently training Christian Assyrian forces, yet
this is not enough. They need weapons; vehicles and clothing.

Furthermore, he stated that the Assyrian community seeks to
become an independent administration within the Kurdistan region. Also, he
expressed his support to other minorities and the willingness of the Assyrian
community to work with other communities towards a common project, that is, a
unified and democratic Iraq. In order to achieve this project, he explained,
the support of the European Union is needed. The EU needs to be involved in the
negotiations so that minorities are conceived of as equal partners, and so that
displaced people feel like returning to their homes.

MPE Mr. Gérard Deprez (Group
of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Belgium) welcome the
willingness of the different minorities to work together towards an end of the
conflict. He then requested a clarification on whether these minorities are
seeking any sort of political or territorial autonomy. Also, he noted that,
despite the fact that all minorities feel part of Iraq, all the representatives
thanked the Peshmerga or the Kurdistan region rather than the Iraqi forces or
the central government. He asked what the Iraqi government could do for these
minorities; and whether the Iraqi government can guarantee their security.

MPE Mr. Afzal Khan (Group
of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European
Parliament, United Kingdom) asked the representatives of these minorities about
the emergence of DAESH. Other MPE
enquired about the deplorable situation in Kurdistan, and, in line to Mr.
Khan's question, asked about the emergence and success of DAESH, which is seen
as a protector of the Sunni people.

The representatives argued that their demand for autonomy was
not new, but a demand that was formulated in 2004 following the fall of the
Saddam regime. This autonomy is supported by the Iraqi constitution, they
explained, and does not imply the division of Iraq, but the creation of
autonomies within Iraq. The representatives of these minorities argued that
minorities look forward to have their own administrations and to achieve
equality, and that they support each other in their aspirations. They also
asserted that, when it comes to autonomy, all the difficulties faced by the
different communities in Iraq are rooted in the creation of Iraq following
World War I. They argued that if one part of Iraq is allowed to have its own
autonomy, so do other parts.

Furthermore, they argued that the Iraqi government does not
have the capacity to rule the country, and that minorities do not receive help
from the central government. These minorities are settled between DAESH and the
Kurdish region. Consequently, following the fall of the Saddam regime, the
Kurdish region became the ally of these minorities, who ask for equal access to
help.

In regard to the emergence of DAESH, they argued that it is
an organisation that rose in a space where it could expand itself. Also, there
is a theory that DAESH has been created in order to design a new Middle East
map. Anyway, they argued, the different parties in Iraq were not able to
coordinate themselves, particularly with the Iraqi government, making it
difficult to act cohesively against DAESH. Moreover, they underlined that
people joining DAESH do so because they have not been able to find a place
within their respective countries, from Saddam's former military heads in Iraq
to European militants joining the ranks of DAESH.

Finally, the called upon the EU to support internally
displaced people as well as the reconstruction of Iraq. They called for
resolutions to be implemented. They argued that people is losing hope in the
international community.

A representative from the Iraqi Embassy argued that Iraq is a
democratic country, since all minorities do have representatives in the central
government. He argued that these representatives should express their concerns
to their elected members of parliament. Iraq has financial issues, and this has
to be taken into consideration.

mardi 11 août 2015

TURKMENS
ARE LOSING HOPE AS THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY REMAIN
SILENT ABOUT THE EXECUTIONS AND DETENTIONS OF HUNDREDS OF TURKMENS (AMONG THEM WOMEN
AND CHILDREN) BY ISIS IN IRAQ. WHILE THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOWS EMPATHY
AND IS HELPING THE NON-TURKMEN COMPONENTS OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE, IT IS TURNING A
DEAF EAR TO THE APPEALS OF THE TURKMENS.

ON 8th AUGUST 2015 THE TURKMEN RESCUE FOUNDATION ISSUED A STATEMENT STRONGLY CONDEMNING THE DEAFENING SILENCE OF THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT, OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND OF THE MEDIA ON THE ONGOING MASSACRES COMMITTED AGAINST THE TURKMENS IN IRAQ, IT ACCUSES THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT, THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND THE MEDIA OF DOUBLE STANDARDS IN DEALING WITH THE TURKMEN AND NON-TURKMEN COMPONENTS OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE.

In December 2014 the Turkmen Rescue Foundation published a well documented report in Arabic, English and Turkish about the 450 Turkmen civilians, (among whom 50 women and 120 children) who were held captive by the ISIS terrorists. This report was disseminated far and wide, to all governmental and non-governmental organizations, to the media, to international organizations and institutions.

On 8th August 2015 the Turkmen Rescue Foundation informed the international community that the criminal ISIS organization had recently announced through social networking sites that they have executed over 2000 civilians from Mosul, including women and children, accusing them of being apostates because of their jobs in the police, the Electoral Commission, the media and for being candidates in the elections.The Turkmen Rescue Foundation confirmed that 700 among the victims were Turkmen (including women and children) ISIS terrorists carried out public executions of these innocent civilians by firing squads.

The Turkmen Rescue Foundation sends the following message to all inside and outside Iraq:

The deafening silence of everyone towards the ongoing massacres committed against the Turkmen and the violations of their human rights by ISIS terrorists and by other aggressors make us lose hope. Although we, Turkmen, are the third main ethnic component of the Iraqi people (over 2,5 million people) we continue to be discriminated simply for being Turkmen and this makes us feel we are not considered as Iraqi citizens.

The double standard in dealing with the Turkmen and non-Turkmen components of the Iraqi people by the Iraqi government and by the international community is unacceptable.

The Turkmen Rescue Foundation demands that the Iraqi government and the international community support the Turkmen fighters (over ten thousand) who have joined the army, the police and the popular mobilization forces and who are combatting ISIS on the front lines, they are fighting to liberate the Turkmen areas of Bashir in Kirkuk, Telafer, Shrikhan, Al Kubban and other areas in Mosul in order to put an end to the sufferings of the Turkmen and save as many lives as possible.

The Turkmen Rescue Foundation calls on the Iraqi Parliament to approve the Turkmen Rights Law which has remained frozen since the previous Parliament, together with the law for the establisment of the new provinces of Talafer and Tuz, as legal valves which can prevent a repeat of the massacres that we see on a daily basis.

jeudi 2 juillet 2015

Dr. Hassan Aydinli, Iraqi Turkmen Front EU representative was invited as speaker at the Conference on Human Rights and religious minorities in Iraq, which was hosted by MEP Josef Weidenholzer at the European Parliament on 29th - 30th June and 1st July 2015.

Were present at the conference opening:H.E. Dr. Jawad Al-Chlaihawi, Designated Ambassador of Iraq in BelgiumDelavar Ajgely, Head of the Mission to European Union, KRGBreen Tahseen, Yazidi representative of the 'Mir' family, Iraqi Diplomat

Dr. Hassan Aydinli spoke on the Political and Humanitarian Situation of Turkmens

The panel was chaired by Michiel Leezenberg, University Amsterdam

Dr. Hassan Aydinli speaking with Michèle Alliot-Marie, MEP, Former State Minister, Head of the Parliamentary Working Group 'Christians in the Middle East", France.

The conference was followed by 'Working Groups' during which the participants had a chance to discuss the following questions in smaller groups:
1. Which political solutions are there for the minorities in Iraq that are threatened by IS and other militias?
2. What can the European Union do to support such solutions?
3. Which humanitarian measures would you ask from the EU?

Dr. Hassan Aydinli with MEP Josef Weidenholzer

A Joint Press Meeting took place in the Glassroom at the EP on 1st July 2015.

This is the second time Dr. Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU representative was invited at the EU Parliament this month to speak about the Turkmens of Iraq, please see:
Two Iraqi Turkmen representatives, were invited as guest speakers at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, at the Delegation for Relations with Iraq Meeting on 10th June 2015

mercredi 1 juillet 2015

Dr. Hassan Aydinli, Iraqi Turkmen Front EU Representative and Mr. Niyazi Mimar Oğlu, Turkmen Member of the Iraqi Parliament were invited as guest speakers at the Delegation for Relations with Iraq Meeting at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on 10th June 2015.

From left to right: Branislav Skripek MEP.Dr.Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU Representative.David Campbell Bannerman, Chairman of the Delegation for relations with Iraq.Niyazi MIMAR OĞLU, Turkmen Member of the Iraqi Parliament.Javier Couso Permuy, Vice-Chairman of the Delegation for relations with IraqAfzal Khan, Member of the European Parliament

Dr. Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU Representative speaking to
Gérard Duprez, Member of the European Parliament

Javier Couso Permuy, Vice-Chairman of the Delegation for relations with IraqDavid Campbell Bannerman, Chairman of the Delegation for relations with Iraq.Niyazi MIMAR OĞLU, Turkmen Member of the Iraqi Parliament.Dr.Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU Representative

Rok KOZELJ, EU Parliament Directorate General External PoliciesBrian HAYES, Vice-Chairman of the Delegation for relations with Iraq David Campbell Bannerman, Chairman of the Delegation for relations with Iraq.